Dreams in Extravagant Colors
by Yay for Yaoi
Summary: A near death experience cuts Shikamaru away from a huge chunk of his life, and only his forgotten dreams really hold the key to what happened that night three years ago. Will he remember what he forgot or feel empty forever? Yaoi, Het, and Possible Yuri
1. Prolouge

A//N: Ok, I know what you're thinking. 'How the hell could she be writing ANOTHER story?' Honestly, this one is to get me off my writer's block. Then I'll continue 'The Eighteenth Birthday' and if you're still hoping for 'Revenge in Bitter Tears', well I'm sorry to break your hearts, but I'm not going to be continuing that one because I lost the files for it. It sucks I know, but, meh.

This is my first time writing a Naruto fic, so I'm not solid on Shikamaru's personality. I role play him pretty well, but when it comes to writing him in a story? I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it. All I know is that he's going to be very OOC in some chapters.

Oh, btw, this story contains YAOI, HET, and possibly YURI in later chapters. Can't handle it? Don't know what it is? Then leave. Alright, have a nice day!

**Disclaimer: I OWN Naruto! Haha! Got you! If I did, I'd be rich, and Kakashi would actually be with Iruka in the series. Ah well.****  
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**Dreams in Extravagant Colors: Prologue **_  
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_I can hear it, the panicked disorder around me, trying so desperately to save the life that's been given to them to save._

_My life._

_I'm trying so hard to stay focused on this disorder around me, to keep away the feeling of dieing that's slowly creeping into me. I don't want to die; I can't die, not yet. I have a promise to keep, minds to broaden._

_Despite how much effort I'm putting into saving my life, it's failing horribly and the blackness slowly creeps in to destroy any thought I have left. With my last thoughts, I think of why I'm laying here, dieing. All for him…_

"_Shikamaru!" I feel someone desperately grabbing my hand and I mentally laugh. It's too late now. I can't be angry though, or bothered, because I died protecting him._

_Finally, the world goes black around me._

oOoOo

"Shikamaru, you're dreaming again!"

Shikamaru cracked his eyes open and saw his comforter staring back at him. Hm, no wonder why his body was freezing.

"Shikamaru."

He sighed before slowly moving the comforter from over his head, only to stare into the blue eyes of his troublesome team mate Ino Yamanaka.

"Ino, I'm only allowed one day to sleep in and here you are ruining that for me?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "If I didn't wake you up, you'd still be lying there in a cold sweat acting like you were dieing."

Shikamaru gave a small sigh as he sat up, scratching into his hair which felt kind of oily from lack of a shower. It was times like this when he actually wished he could remember his dreams, maybe then he'd know why he woke up in a cold sweat every morning. His eyes then found their way to the girl in front of him. She wasn't wearing much except for one of his shirts, and truthfully, it looked rather small on her with her breasts.

"Are you still here?" Shikamaru kind of sniped before sighing softly. He already knew the scene that was about to be played out.

"Well geez Shikamaru, if you're going to act like such an ass after I sleep with you then forget calling me again!" She growled out with that stupid attitude that reminded him so much of his mother.

Shikamaru then fell back onto his bed and reached for the cigarettes on his nightstand, putting one in his mouth and lighting it up. He didn't bother watching Ino as she got on the necessities for the public, taking his shirt with him. He gave a small sigh; he lost more shirts that way.

How many times had he woken up with that troublesome woman after a lustful night and a few drinks? He'd stopped counting at ten times. But the numbers didn't matter though, because he always ended up having the dreams that made him cry out in his sleep and sink into a cold sweat.

He then tapped the ashes off his cigarette into the nearby ash tray as he sat up, looking around his room. No matter who he slept with, or how drunk he got the night before, he had those dreams again and again. It always made his day more stressful as he wracked his brain for the dreams from the night before. Maybe he should just accept it as life and move on with it?

If only it were so easy, but then life never was.

Shikamaru sighed as he finally decided to climb out of bed, walking over to the heavy drapes that shielded his room from the sunlight. Another beautiful morning in the village of Konoha. It'd be nicer if life didn't feel so empty.

He'd been this way ever since nearly dieing three years ago, and although he never fully knew what had happened to him, he knew it resulted in what he was now, an over stressed man with a huge chunk of his life missing.

"Que sera sera." He mumbled under his breath as he turned from the window to prepare himself for another stressful day.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the wait folks. I've just been so...I don't know, distracted, grounded, bored. Any of them will do. But I had absolutely NOTHING to do. This chapter was originally supposed to be first person, but then I decided against it because it didn't feel right to me. So, sorry if the chapter is a little weird. Do you think I should write the next chapter in 3rd or 1st? Please R&R and give me your opinion!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does...And I DEMAND HE MAKE SHIKAMARU A MAIN CHARIE!!!**

**Dreams in Extravagant Colors: Chapter One **

"Oi! Oi! Shikamaru!" A loud voice called to him, without intentionally being loud.

He sighed, his eyes closed as he stopped walking. Why were all the loud mouths bothering him today?

"Naruto…?" He answered, turning to look at the blonde boy. He was dressed in casual clothing, his hitai-ate nowhere to be seen, but a quick glance over his body says he's recently been to the hospital.

That's right; he and Sasuke had been on an important mission recently. He felt a sneer slowly cross his face. He had high doubts that anything got done on that mission.

"We're going out to drink for awhile later tonight! You should come 'tebayo!"

"_We're_? Who's all going?"

"Shino, Hinata, Ino, Chouji, Sakura, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Sasuke…"

"So pretty much all the troublesome people?" He sighed and closed his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'll pass."

"Aw come on Shikamaru. You need to stop being such an anti-social bastard 'tebayo!"

"Like your boyfriend?"

"Exactly! Just like Sas…shut up."

He smirked again. They'd been dating ever since Sasuke came back, and yet Naruto still acted like it was a big secret to everyone.

"I'm not going Naruto."

"Temari invited us all, especially you. You have to come 'tebayo!"

Now this statement made him pause in my steps. Temari, huh, when had she come back from Suna?

"Kankuro and Temari came with Gaara for a meeting with all the kages 'tebayo. Kankuro and Gaara won't be coming because they have business, but we're going to hang out with them later 'tebayo."

Ah, so that explained it. But still, he didn't feel like going and getting drunk today, especially with everyone who'd be going.

"I might make an appearance."

"Alright! See you later then!" He waved frantically before bounding off.

There's only one word to describe Naruto at this moment, _sucker_.

Shikamaru then sighed, continuing on his trek. He wasn't teaching today, and yet, he still had to go to the academy to grade the previous weeks work. Why he put it off? Well, he was lazy of course, even if grading the work earlier would have been easy and would have given him more time to himself. Then again, he disliked having time to himself, not wanting his thoughts to trail to the night he nearly died.

He shook his head before sighing, looking up at the academy. The busier he stayed, the less he could think about the past.

Slowly, he made his way to the teacher's lounge, where all of their cubicles were gathered. He wasn't surprised to find his old teacher at his desk as he walked by.

"Iruka-sensei, good afternoon."

"Shikamaru, how many times do I have to tell you that we're equals now; you can just call me Iruka."

He shrugged in reply, kind of leaning against the wall next to Iruka's desk.

"Kakashi-sensei's birthday is today isn't it? How's he holding up?"

Iruka chuckled, shaking his head.

"He's not taking it very well. He could barely get out of bed this morning."

"Can't say I blame him, I'll probably be acting the same way when my birthday rolls around."

"You have no right, you'll only be turning eighteen."

"I'll be taking that step into adulthood." Shikamaru said with a shrug, sighing. "And yet, I already feel old."

Iruka chuckled then before he turned back to his work.

"Here to grade papers again?"

"Yea, but why are you here?"

"Kakashi won't bother me here."

"Oh, I get it."

The older Chunin was there conjuring up some surprise for the Jonin.

"Who's going to be at his surprise?"

"All of the Jonin and me."

"Who's babysitting Yuukiei?"

"Kurenai said she was going to stay at the neighbors house for the evening."

Shikamaru kind of nodded before walking away from the other Chunin, sitting lazily in the chair at his desk. Now to grade those little brats papers.

"Mendokuse." He muttered under his breath ad he took out his red pen and began marking the paper in front of him.

**_Preview of Chapter Two:_**

_I'd stopped talking to him a while back, because of the fake grin he always gave me, and because he could never look me in the eyes. He was a horrible liar too, answering my worried questions with an empty 'Nothing's wrong, I'm fine.' Most of the time, I couldn't even stand being in the same room with him. Why couldn't he trust me? _


End file.
